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00:04So far on Life Story, we have seen animals face the dangers of childhood.
00:18Watch them enter the adult world.
00:25Now, young animals need to find a home.
00:30Somewhere they can find the necessities of life.
00:39It could be a refuge from animals,
00:44and a shelter from the elements.
00:48Without a place of its own, an animal will struggle to survive.
01:14On the vast plains of Zambia, this isolated thicket is a rare patch of cover.
01:24It's home to a pack of hunting dogs.
01:31The arrival of a dozen tiny pups means the pack have, for now, given up their nomadic lifestyle.
01:41Here, they can hide the youngsters out of sight of their many enemies.
01:49It's the dry season, and food is scarce.
01:58Whenever the pack leaves on a hunting trip, one dog stays behind as babysitter.
02:08If danger threatens, the pack's future will depend on this dog.
02:32A two-and-a-half-meter rock python is hunting.
02:44It can easily grab a pup if it can launch a surprise attack.
02:54The adult has spotted it.
03:07His attempt to drive it away have the worst possible outcome.
03:16It retreats down the pup's burrow.
03:23Now, the adult faces a critical choice.
03:26Stay put and risk living with a predator.
03:30Or try to find a new shelter in the few hours before nightfall.
03:39That would mean leading the pups into the open.
04:00The babysitter makes his choice.
04:23Unfortunately, these planes are home to hyena.
04:36They are the hunting dogs' greatest enemy.
04:59The hyena will take a straggling pup if it gets a chance.
05:19It might win a battle over a pup with a lone babysitter.
05:28But the rest of the dog pack returning from the hunt is a different matter.
05:38A hyena will avoid this confrontation.
05:53Back at full strength, the dog pack can now lead the pups to the safety of a new refuge.
06:06Secure again, the pups squabble over the meat carried back by the hunting party.
06:20Its duty's over, the babysitter can take a well-earned rest.
06:32And in a few weeks, the pups will be old enough to leave the den and join the pack on
06:39the
06:39open plains.
06:56In nature, good homes are all too rare.
07:04Here, on a tiny Caribbean island off the coast of Belize, there is a severe housing shortage.
07:16Hermit crabs use abandoned seashells as mobile homes.
07:24As a crab grows, its shell becomes an ever tighter fit.
07:29So, eventually, a crab needs to move in to a bigger one.
07:35Suitable empty shells are few and far between, and this one is far too spacious for this crab.
07:48But instead of continuing its search, this small crab settles down to wait.
08:05Other crabs, also looking to upgrade to a bigger home, soon gather whenever a shell washes ashore.
08:18Unfortunately, the new shell is too big for them, too.
08:26Despite that, the gathering crabs begin to measure each other up, and then they do something
08:32really rather extraordinary.
08:37They arrange themselves into an orderly queue.
08:42The biggest at the front, smallest at the back.
08:47They're lining up with one aim, to exchange properties.
08:55But none of the crabs can make a move, because the chain is not yet complete.
09:02They're all waiting for the right-sized crab to come along.
09:08And this is it.
09:17The latest arrival pushes to the head of the queue.
09:24At first, the chain falls apart.
09:31As it reforms, the small crab finally makes its move, and takes its place at the end of the line.
09:52After a close inspection, the big crab moves in.
10:00This triggers a chain reaction.
10:05Each crab hurriedly moves into the shell vacated by the crab ahead of it in the line.
10:15Just as the small crab attempts to move into its new home, a fresh arrival muscles in.
10:36To be left without a shell is a death sentence.
10:42A naked crab will quickly cook under the intense tropical sun.
10:54But after all the swapping, there is still one shell left.
11:05Sadly, it's no bigger than this small crab's original shell.
11:10And worse, it's got a hole in it.
11:20But even a bad shell is better than being homeless.
11:27The small crab's need to upgrade will be even more urgent by the time the next shell rolls ashore.
11:43This old wreck off the coast of Fiji is a gathering place for some very unusual fish.
11:54They're called remoras, but this isn't their home.
11:58It's more of a waiting room.
12:03Like hermit crabs, each remora is waiting for the perfect residence to appear.
12:13The unique suckers on the back of their heads hint at a very different and unusual lifestyle.
12:23Up above is a coral reef.
12:29The remoras watch and wait for a particular visitor.
12:36Sharks.
12:39Most fish make themselves scarce when they appear.
12:46But not remoras.
12:52But not remoras.
12:53For a remora, home is a bigger fish.
12:56And this is an opportunity not to be missed.
13:02A passing school of eight-foot bull sharks.
13:06One of the most aggressive marine predators.
13:17Remoras stick very close or even clamp onto their host with their suckers.
13:26And what fish could offer better protection than a shark?
13:35What's more, when the shark makes a kill, the remora can scavenge the leftovers.
13:43In return, it helps the shark by eating parasites from its body.
13:50But too many remora could slow a shark down.
13:54So they try to avoid becoming overloaded.
13:58That means intense competition among remora for the available spaces.
14:17This one has missed out.
14:27T-shirts and H-1-2-2-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-3-1-4-4-1-4
14:35-6-1-2-3-2-4-4-4-4-7-2-4-1-4-4-22-3-4-5-1
14:37-4-7-3-6-4-7-3-4-2-5-1-4-5-2-3-2-4-5-4-6
14:41-4-6-6-5-4-4-5-3-4-7-5-5-4-4-2-4-6-6-7-6
14:41-4-7-6-7-6-7-7-6-7-7-6-7-8-6-7-6-7-6-7-6
14:47-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7m-7-7-8-
15:06It's already sheltering several large remoras.
15:18But there's room for one more on this huge fish.
15:36At last, the remora has a safe home.
15:44But having made its choice, the remora must now go wherever the manta takes it.
15:50For better or worse.
16:03Some animals build their own homes, and if their lives are filled with danger,
16:09then that home needs to be a fortress.
16:16An Australian weaver ant carries part of her colony's future, a grub in her jaws.
16:26She's on her way to help in the construction of her new home.
16:33Hundreds of her fellow workers are labouring together to build a stronghold out of leaves.
16:48Chains of workers pull leaves together.
16:59They hold them tight, but they need a more permanent fix than this.
17:08The grub carrier will play a crucial role.
17:13But first, she needs to get across the construction site.
17:21Workers use their own bodies to make living bridges between branches, allowing others to move quickly around the site.
17:46This worker with her grub crosses over.
18:04When this worker reaches a leaf that needs securing, she taps the grub on its head.
18:11This stimulates it to produce silk.
18:17The worker uses the grub like a glue gun, passing it backwards and forwards across the join.
18:27Silk is one of the strongest fibres in nature, yet it's also flexible,
18:32making it the perfect glue for a construction that must bend and flex in the wind.
18:46After just a few hours of intense effort, the ant's home is complete.
18:54Totally weatherproof, this new nest makes the ideal nursery
18:58in which to start rearing a precious brood.
19:07But it also needs to be a fortress, because neighbouring ant colonies looking to expand their own empires
19:16are always on the attack.
19:31It's rare that a home provides an animal with everything it needs to survive.
19:43Some are a dangerous compromise.
19:48A sheer rock face in the American Rockies provides a sure-footed mountain goat with security from attack.
20:01The goats spend the entire winter up here, but although safe from predators, there's little food.
20:13By the time the spring molt arrives, their poor diet has left them suffering from a serious deficiency of vital
20:21minerals.
20:28So, every spring, the goats must leave the safety of the cliffs and make a dangerous three-day-long descent
20:35on a quest for these precious salts.
20:47While mothers guide the newborn kids down to the valley,
20:51this newly independent young goat is making the perilous journey alone for the first time.
21:10The sun's warmth has brought predators out of hibernation.
21:26A grizzly bear.
21:38It's a deadly threat to a young goat.
21:50Luckily, the remains of an earlier casualty catch its attention.
22:09The yearling has to make his way without guidance.
22:22The yearling has to make his way without guidance.
22:28High up, avalanches and rockfalls are a hazard.
22:40Lower down, rivers swollen with meltwater pose the greatest danger.
22:51From experience, mother goats know the safer places to cross.
23:09From experience, mother goats know the safer places to cross.
23:21For her new kid, it is a daunting prospect.
23:34It could easily be swept to its death.
23:55After several days, the lone yearling approaches the crossing.
24:02On the other bank is the only place for miles around where rocks rich in salt are exposed.
24:17All that stands between the young goat and the outcrop is a last cascade of bitterly cold water.
24:29It's hard to know where to cross without help.
25:12He's made it.
25:26He'll stay a few days stocking up on the salts and this rich dust
25:31before facing the dangerous return journey back to the safety of the peaks.
25:50In Zambia, the hunting dog pups are now four months old
25:55and have left the security of their den far behind.
26:06Once the pups are big enough to keep up,
26:08the dog pack resumes roaming the plains that make up their territory.
26:21In the dry season, being mobile is the only way to find enough food
26:26for 12 hungry youngsters.
26:31Day and night, the dogs rely on each other for protection from enemies.
26:43Hyenas, the dog's ancient enemy.
26:52Hyenas are scavengers.
26:54They want to steal the dog's kill.
27:02One dog cannot take on a hyena.
27:09But what the dogs lack in strength, they make up for with teamwork.
27:38This isn't just a fight.
27:42It's part of an age-old battle for control of these plains.
28:02The youngsters join the adults.
28:05The youngsters join the adults.
28:13The youngsters join the adults.
28:36With their new strength in numbers, the battle between dog and hyena is firmly in the dog's
28:49favour. By sticking together, the pack can see off the challenge of their arch-enemy.
29:04For the pups, this fight has demonstrated the most important rule of hunting dog life.
29:10Taking control of their home territory, and indeed their very survival, depends on teamwork.
29:28Now, their home and their lives are about to change.
29:35The rainy season is arriving, bringing with it an abundance of prey.
29:45The coming of seasonal riches might seem to promise an easy life.
29:54But not necessarily if you're a piker.
30:02They make their homes at high altitude on these steep boulder fields.
30:11These slopes in the North American Rockies are only free from snow for a few months a year.
30:24Piker don't hibernate.
30:27Instead, they cash in on the sudden burst of summer flowers to stockpile enough food to get them through the
30:34winter.
30:41That means cramming thousands of return journeys between Flower Meadow and Burrow into just a few hectic weeks.
30:53So, for a piker, a good home is all about location.
30:59Having a burrow near the meadow is a huge advantage.
31:04But not everyone can have a prime spot.
31:10This young female lives high up on the boulder slope.
31:15Every day is a relentless commute.
31:20She could cover hundreds of kilometers over a single summer.
31:33It's not just exhausting, it's dangerous too.
31:41A weasel.
31:46Its long, thin body makes it the perfect hunter in this jumble of boulders.
31:53But the pikers have some countermeasures.
32:04They call to prevent a surprise attack.
32:13Faced with such dangers, pikers are always on the lookout for safer ways to fill their larders.
32:23And they're not above a little petty theft.
32:27The hay piles of the pikers living closer to the meadow are already bulging with food.
32:34Too tempting to ignore.
32:39She waits until the owner is well away.
32:46And then...
32:50Helps herself.
32:51Helps herself.
33:06This life of crime will save her time, energy and reduce the risk from predators.
33:16She stashes the stolen goods, then heads back for more.
33:24Of course, the key to being a successful thief is not to be seen.
33:38But, unfortunately, the owner in the meadow spots the intruder red-handed.
33:53She carries on while the owner rushes back to confront her.
34:16She may have made a clean getaway.
34:21But pikers are not the only thieves operating here.
34:26She may have made a clean getaway.
34:27Bighorn sheep.
34:30Now she is the victim.
34:34She can call all she likes.
34:37But the sheep just keep on eating.
34:45For the piker, it's a disaster.
34:49Unless she can quickly replenish her stockpile in what's left of the short summer.
35:03Back in the Australian rainforest, this weaver ant fortress sits at the heart of a rich territory.
35:16Hunting parties go out to gather food to fuel their growing numbers.
35:32Some canopy caterpillars are not killed, but farmed by the ants.
35:38They exude a sugary secretion that the ants collect.
35:44In return, the ants mount a guard to protect the caterpillar wherever it goes.
35:55But a successful colony inevitably attracts enemies.
36:05This jumping spider's body shape resembles that of an ant.
36:15A disguise good enough to fool these nursery guards.
36:25It's after one of the colony's most valuable assets.
36:30The grubs.
36:33In a colony numbering tens of thousands, a single grub is an insignificant loss.
36:42But the rich territory of a successful colony draws more destructive enemies.
36:59Raiders from a neighboring weaver ant colony looking to expand their own empire.
37:16Raiders are quickly spotted.
37:19Invaders are quickly spotted.
37:23The guard releases pheromones to alert the rest of the colony.
37:29They stream out of the nest to defend their home.
37:50If the home defences fail, the colony will be wiped out.
38:00If the home defences fail, the colony will be wiped out.
38:03A potent weapon.
38:04They squirt formic acid.
38:13The stinging liquid halts the invaders in their tracks.
38:21And now the home guard can go on the offensive.
38:55Home and territory are secure once again.
39:00A colony may lose many workers in defense of its home.
39:06But their sacrifice helps safeguard the next generation.
39:15A colony that can defend a rich territory has the potential to dominate their part of the rainforest for years
39:23to come.
39:33Such long-term occupation allows residents to become intimately familiar with their home.
39:40Knowledge that is critical when times are tough.
39:49These chimps live on the edge of the Sahara in Senegal.
39:56The dry season has been at its most brutal for four months.
40:03There is almost nothing left to eat.
40:12This young male spends hours teasing apart seed pods.
40:19The fibers surrounding each tiny tiny black seed are inedible, so he must delicately separate the one from the other.
40:29Others take the edge off their hunger by chewing tough bean pods.
40:37It's not much to keep the troops going.
40:43It's not much to keep the troops going.
40:44And there are many hungry mouths to feed.
41:00Even scarcer than food is water.
41:09If they can't find a supply, these chimps will die.
41:26The troop depends on the older chimps and their detailed knowledge of their home territory.
41:33They've lived through droughts like this before.
41:39They lead the others on a trek towards a distant river.
41:50It's a 16-kilometer trek in suffocating 50-degree heat.
41:55It's a 16-kilometer trek.
42:22Their march ends on a river bank.
42:33But the channel is bone-dry.
42:40Undeterred, this big male picks his spot.
42:48And starts to dig.
43:05The youngster watching him at work is absorbing knowledge that could be critical to the troops' survival in years to
43:12come.
43:19Water slowly collects in the hole, filtered as it seeps through the gravel.
43:47It's a moment to savour.
43:50It's a moment to savour.
43:58It's a moment to savour.
43:59All along the river bed, others are following the leader's example and digging their own drinking wells.
44:20By pooling their knowledge and experience, the chimps have made this hostile place into a home.
44:44The hunting dog pack has survived the hard times of the dry season.
44:49They've exploited different parts of their home territory to successfully raze and protect their pups.
44:56And they've fought off their greatest rivals.
45:02Now their home is about to be transformed.
45:13Great herds of wildebeest are arriving, having followed the reins here to graze on the new grass and to carve.
45:23And the pack is ready for them.
45:34Still too young to join a hunt, the pups have been left at a water hole.
45:49While the adults head off over the plains.
45:58The youngsters are already practising their hunting skills.
46:10But they have some way to go.
46:20Not so the adults.
46:22They form a tight pack, stalking to get close to the wildebeest.
46:48And with the herd on the run, the pack manages to isolate a small group.
46:58They're looking for any weakness.
47:13But the wildebeest are no pushover.
47:27The dogs work in relay. As one towers, another moves through to take up the running.
47:40Fleeing for its life, the wildebeest has a few tricks of its own.
47:47First, it tries to create confusion by running into a group of zebra.
48:05Then joins forces with other wildebeest to make a break for the main herd.
48:16Most of the dogs break off to find an easier victim.
48:22But one dog appears to have forgotten the basic pack rule.
48:27Stick together.
48:32Suddenly, he hears the pack and switches direction to rejoin them.
48:48And now, there is no escape from the power of the pack.
49:06We should come back.
49:13We will.
49:23One holeely redeninsom.
49:42It's time to retrieve the pups and escort them back to the kill.
49:53The growing pack has less to fear from hyenas than before,
49:59but they will always be a threat.
50:05Some of the older members form a protective cordon
50:08while the rest of the pack feed.
50:19By working together, the pack have overcome the challenges of this land
50:25and succeeded in making it their home.
50:34Their hard-won territory will be a legacy to their pups,
50:39and with luck, for the generations to come.
50:58The End
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